‘He didn’t talk to me about it – I still haven’t spoken to him’: Gareth Bale says he has not heard from former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane since his Champions League final goal in Kiev
- Gareth Bale reveals he has not spoken to former boss Zinedine Zidane since May
- The Welshman scored in the Champions League final win over Liverpool in Kiev
- But Bale says he has not discussed the stunning strike with his former boss
Gareth Bale has revealed he has had no contact with former boss Zinedine Zidane since netting his stunner in the Champions League final last May.
The Welshman came off the bench against Liverpool in Ukraine and produced one of the tournament’s finest ever strikes in a final before adding his second in the closing minutes.
But while Bale admits he had a ‘good’ relationship with Zidane, the pair have not spoken since the Frenchman stepped down as boss after lifting a third successive Champions League title.
Gareth Bale has not spoken to Zinedine Zidane since his Champions League final goal, he says
The former Real Madrid boss stepped down after lifting a third successive Champions League
‘He didn’t talk to me about it – I still haven’t spoken to him since,’ Bale told FourFourTwo. ‘Our relationship was good. I wouldn’t say we were best mates, it was just a normal professional relationship.’
Bale was often the attacker forced to make way and sit on the bench with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema preferred options under Zidane at the end.
Despite finding himself in good form going into the final, the 29-year-old again had to accept a place on the bench and it was a decision that left him ‘angry’.
Bale was ‘angry’ to have started the final on the bench before coming on and scoring two goals
‘I was desperate to get onto that pitch,’ he added. ‘When I ran on I was still a bit angry, and that’s probably why I did what I did next.
‘I’ve watched the goal back a couple of times. I didn’t feel like I had a point to prove – I wanted to do it for myself and the team.’
Julen Lopetegui succeeded Zidane but was soon ousted by Santiago Solari with the managerial merry-go-round dominating the early stages of Madrid’s season.
Ronaldo departed for Juventus in the summer and there was hope that Bale would step up and become the club’s main man.
However, the Welsh winger has managed just five La Liga goals so far this season and has faced a fan backlash – but his entourage insist he has no plans to seek an exit.
This season Bale has struggled for goals and has already faced a backlash from the supporters
